Under perfect, dry and mostly sunny conditions, the 16th annual Flags for the Cure flag football tournament held Jan. 4-8 had record participation and generated a $40,000 donation to the American Cancer Society. In all, more than 70 teams played in the tournament.
In the past, the tournament has been held at the Acreage Community Park, but that venue was not available due to it being renovated, so it was moved to Wellington’s Village Park.
In addition to crowning champions in eight different competitive brackets, the event had a bigger purpose. According to tournament director Dr. Hart Collier, this event is held each year in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
“The tournament was a huge success,” Collier said. “We had 72 teams and more than 750 participants, both record numbers for this tournament. The entire event ran smoothly. Many thanks to the Village of Wellington for allowing us to stage the event at Village Park.”
In first 15 years, the tournament raised a total of $360,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year, the goal was to bring that grand total to at least $400,000, and that goal was met. That $40,000 donation was announced in a special ceremony at the Village Park football fields at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7. (See related photos here.)
In addition to the presentation of the $40,000 check to the American Cancer Society, the event was staged in order to recognize and honor those who are currently battling cancer, those who have lost their lives to cancer and the caregivers who are so instrumental during all stages of the struggle against cancer.
The tournament’s eight different competitive brackets ranged from 10 & Under Co-eds to the Women’s Over-30 division.
The bracket with the largest number of teams was Men’s Open, which had 29 teams. Some of the more creative team names in the tournament were Why So Serious, Brenda’s B*tches, Acreage Misfits, Strong Mother Flaggers and Fight Like a Girl.
Listed below are the championship final scores of each bracket:
In the Hubb’s Tire & Service Men’s Open division final, Palm Beach Flight outlasted Eskimo Bros., 30-24.
In the Collier Chiropractic Women’s Open division final, Carnage outscored Brenda’s B*tches, 27-13.
In the American Cancer Society Open Men’s Second Chance bracket final, Orange Crush won by forfeit against All Madden, 1-0.
In the Builtx Open Co-ed championship final, FBM Royals defeated Anarchy, 22-14 in overtime.
In the ESPN and JoJo’s Raw Bar & Grille 30 & Over Women’s finale, Fight Like a Girl shut out Anarchy, 12-0.
In the Entrusted Property Inspections 18 & Under final, Tru Skills defeated Benchwarmers, 26-6.
In the Acreage Athletic League 13 & Under division final, Tru Skills B defeated Cancer Outlaws, 31-6.
In the PDQ Wellington/Texas Roadhouse 10 & Under division final, Steel City blanked Acreage Misfits B, 13-0.
The championship win in the Open Co-ed division by FBM Royals was especially poignant for Neeza Abraham, who played in the tournament to honor her late father, Valliyio, who lost his life to cancer at the age of 64 in 2014.
Abraham’s team won in overtime, and she caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Neff to secure the win. It was Abraham’s only touchdown of the entire tournament. Abraham took her first-place trophy and placed it next to an image of her father.
Learn more about the tournament at www.flagsforthecure.com. The tournament’s major sponsors included the Village of Wellington, Hubb’s Tire & Service and Builtx Inc.
